Chamber's thinking on global warming is childish: PennLive letters

In the April 23rd article on climate change, “The force of green,” Shawn Good of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry is quoted: “Is the U.S. producing the global warming? The answer is no. China and India are producing the majority of the higher emissions throughout the world.”

His rationale makes me think of the protest from a young child when reprimanded for misbehavior: “But the other kids are doing it!” Does the responsible adult respond: “Oh, it’s OK to behave badly since the others are doing it too.”?

Good’s climate change responsibility argument is absurd. He is well aware that the U.S. per capita emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases far exceed those of China and India. The market-based solutions that he seeks should eliminate the tax breaks and subsidies now enjoyed by both fossil fuel and renewable energy companies. Furthermore, a fair market with a level playing field can only be established if a price (tax) is put on carbon based fuels that reflect the associated damaging costs of climate change to agriculture, tourism, health, and safety.